Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at closing ceremony of the Centenary celebrations of Bihar Legislative Assembly, Patna
Namaskar!
Present on this historic occasion, the Governor of Bihar Shri Fagu Chauhan ji, popular Chief Minister of Bihar Shri Nitish Kumar ji, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Shri Vijay Sinha ji, Working President of Bihar Legislative Council Shri Awadhesh Narain Singh ji, Deputy Chief Minister Smt. Renu Devi ji, Tarkishore Prasad ji, Leader of Opposition Shri Tejashwi Yadav ji, all the ministers, legislators, other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen!
Best wishes to all of you, the people of Bihar, on the centenary year of Bihar Legislative Assembly. It is the nature of Bihar to give back the love several times more than that has been showered on it. Today I have also got the privilege of being the first Prime Minister of the country to visit the Bihar Vidhan Sabha Complex. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Bihar for this affection as well to the Chief Minister and Hon'ble Speaker.
Friends,
I have also got the opportunity to inaugurate the Shatabdi Smriti Stambh just a short while back. This pillar will not only become a symbol of the glorious past of Bihar, but will also inspire the various aspirations of Bihar. Just a short while back, the foundation stones of Bihar Vidhan Sabha Museum and Vidhan Sabha Guest House have also been laid. I heartily congratulate Nitish Kumar ji and Vijay Sinha ji for these development projects. I have also had a pleasant experience of planting Kalpataru in the Shatabdi Park of the Assembly Complex. It is believed that the Kalpataru tree fulfils our hopes and aspirations. This same role is played by the parliamentary institutions in a democracy. I hope that the Bihar Vidhan Sabha will continue to play this role relentlessly and will continue to make invaluable contributions to the development of Bihar and the country.
Friends,
Bihar Vidhan Sabha has a history of its own and a series of major and bold decisions have been taken in this Vidhan Sabha building. Before independence, Governor Satyendra Prasanna Sinha had made an appeal from this very assembly to encourage indigenous industries and to promote the adoption of the indigenous Charkha. After independence, the Zamindari Abolition Act was passed in this assembly. Taking this tradition forward, Nitish ji's government passed an act like Bihar Panchayati Raj. Through this act, Bihar became the first state to give 50 percent reservation to women in Panchayati Raj. This assembly is an example of how one can work for equal participation and equal rights in various fields including democracy and social life. Today at this complex, as I am talking to you about the Vidhan Sabha building, it also makes me realise that in the last 100 years this building, this complex has been a witness to the voices of several great personalities. It's not possible to talk about each one of them due to the dearth of time but this building has not only been a witness to the creators of history but has created history itself. It is said that the energy of voice is perpetual. The things said in this historic building and the resolutions related to the development of Bihar are present even today as energy. Even today those words are echoing here.
Friends,
This centenary celebration of Bihar Vidhan Sabha Bhawan is taking place at a time when the country is celebrating the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. '100 years of the assembly building and 75 years of the country's independence' is not just a coincidence. This coincidence also has a shared past and meaningful message. On the one hand, there were movements like Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar, while on the other hand this land has also shown India the way to walk on the path of values and ideals of democracy. For decades we have been told that India received its democracy because of foreign rule and foreign ideas; and even people here sometimes say these things. But, when someone says this, he tries to hide the history and heritage of Bihar. When large parts of the world were taking their first steps towards civilization and culture, a sophisticated democracy was already operating in Vaishali. When the understanding of democratic rights began to develop in other regions of the world, republics such as the Lichchavi and Vajjisangh were functioning at their peak.
Friends,
The concept of democracy in India is as old as this nation and its culture. Thousands of years ago, it has been said in our Vedas – त्वां विशो वृणतां राज्याय त्वा-मिमाः प्रदिशः पंच देवीः।. That is, the king should be elected by all the subjects, and chosen by the committees of scholars. It has been said in the Vedas thousands of years ago. Even today, in our Constitution, the selection of MPs-MLAs, Chief Minister, Prime Minister, President, rests on this democratic value. Democracy as an idea has been alive here for thousands of years because India considers democracy as a means of equality. India believes in the idea of co-existence and harmony. We believe in the truth; we believe in co-operation; we believe in harmony, and in the power of a united society. That is why our Vedas have also given us this mantra – सं गच्छध्वं सं वदध्वं, सं वो मनांसि जानताम्॥ That is, let us walk together, speak together, know and understand each other's minds or thoughts. It is further said in this Veda Mantra – समानो मन्त्र: समिति: समानी।
That is, let us think together, let our committees, our assemblies and houses be like-minded for the welfare of the society, and let our hearts be one. Only India as a nation has been able to present such a great spirit of accepting democracy with its heart and soul. That is why, whenever I visit different countries in the world or I am present on any major global platform, I say one thing with great pride. For some reason our ears have been filled with one term that has blocked our minds. We have been told time and again that we are the largest democracy of the world and we have accepted the same because of hearing it again and again. Therefore, whenever I go to a global forum, I proudly say that India is the 'Mother of Democracy' in the world. And we and the people of Bihar should keep spreading this word before the world that we are the 'Mother of Democracy'. The glorious heritage of Bihar and the historical documents present in Pali are also a living proof of the same. No one can erase or hide this splendour of Bihar. This historic building has strengthened this democratic heritage of Bihar for the past 100 years. Therefore, I believe that today this building also deserves the respect and honour from all of us.
Friends,
The history of this building is related to the consciousness of Bihar, which did not allow its democratic values to end even during the period of colonialism. Again and again, we should remind ourselves of the events associated with it during and after its establishment. Shri Krishna Singh ji better known as Shri Babu had placed a condition in front of the British that he would form the government only if the British government promised not to interfere in the functioning of the elected government. Shri Babu ji had resigned from the government in protest against dragging India into World War II without India's consent; and every person of Bihar is proud of that. This incident has always communicated the message that Bihar can never accept anything against democracy. And brothers and sisters, we all have seen that even after independence, Bihar remained steadfast and equally committed to its democratic allegiance. Bihar gave independent India its first President in the form of Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Leaders like Loknayak Jayaprakash, Karpoori Thakur and Babu Jagjivan Ram had taken birth on this land. Even when there was an attempt to crush the Constitution in the country, Bihar came to the fore and protested against it. During that dark period of Emergency, the soil of Bihar showed that efforts to suppress democracy in India could never be successful. And therefore, I believe that the more prosperous Bihar is, the stronger will be the democratic power of India. The stronger Bihar becomes, the more powerful India will be!
Friends,
The 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and this historic occasion of 100 years of Bihar Legislative Assembly has brought a message of introspection for all of us, for every public representative. The more we strengthen our democracy, the more strength we will get for our freedom and our rights. Today the world is changing rapidly in the 21st century. The expectations and aspirations of the people of India and our youth are also rising according to the new needs. Our democratic systems will have to work at a faster pace accordingly. Today, when we are moving ahead with the resolution of a new India in the 75th year of independence, the responsibility of taking forward these resolutions is also upon our Parliament and Legislative Assemblies. For this, we need to work hard day in and day out with honesty and sincerity. As MPs of the country, as MLAs of the state, it is also our responsibility to come together and defeat every challenge being faced by our democracy. Our voices should be united for the sake of the country, for the welfare of the country, by rising above the differences of parties and opposition. Let the House become the centre of positive dialogues on the subjects related to the public welfare. Our voice for constructive works should be as loud! We have to move forward continuously in this direction too. The democratic maturity of our country is displayed by our conduct. Therefore, along with the world's largest democracy, we also have to grow ourselves as the world's most mature democracy.
Friends,
I am glad that today the country is witnessing a positive change in this direction. Speaking of Parliament, in the last few years there has been a record increase in the attendance of MPs in Parliament and the productivity of Parliament. And Vijay ji has presented the details of the assembly too. He has given us the complete detail about positivity, dynamism, widely discussed topics as well as decisions made.
Friends,
Similarly in Parliament, the productivity of Lok Sabha was 129 percent in the last budget session while in Rajya Sabha 99 percent productivity was recorded. That is, the country is constantly working on new resolutions and taking forward the democratic discourse. And we all know that when people see that those elected by them are working hard, keeping their point of view seriously in the House, then their trust in democracy also increases. It is also the responsibility of all of us to expand this trust.
Friends,
With time we need new ideas and new thinking. Therefore, as the people change, democracy also has to keep adding new dimensions. For these changes, we not only need new policies, but also need to reform old policies and old laws according to time. In the last few years, Parliament has repealed about 150 such laws. Due to these laws, the problems faced by the common man earlier and the obstacles in the progress of the country were resolved, and a new confidence was instilled. Even at the state level, there are many such old laws which have been going on for years. Together we need to pay attention to those too.
Friends,
For the world, the 21st century belongs to India. We have been constantly hearing this. We have been hearing this from the people around the world but I would say that this century is the century of performing duties for India. We have to reach the golden goal of building a New India in this century, in the next 25 years. Our duties will take us to these goals. Therefore, these 25 years are the years of walking on the path of duty for our country. This 25 year-period is the period to dedicate oneself with a sense of duty. We need to place ourselves in the spirit of duty for us, for our society and our country. We need to go beyond perfection in terms of our duties. Today, India is rapidly emerging as a global power and setting records on the global stage. The commitment and the sense of duty of the citizens of India is behind these achievements. In a democracy, our Houses represent the sentiments of the people. Therefore, the conscientiousness of the countrymen should also be reflected in the conduct of our houses and public representatives. The way we conduct ourselves in the House and the emphasis we place on our duties within the House can ignite more enthusiasm and inspiration in our countrymen. Another important point; we should not consider our duties as separate from our rights. The more we work for our duties, the stronger our rights will be. Our commitment to duty is the guarantee of our rights. Therefore, all of us, the public representatives have to reiterate our resolve to perform our duties. These resolutions will pave the way for the success of all of us and our society. Today, as we are moving ahead with the nation's resolutions of 'Azadi Ka Amritkal', we should not leave any stone unturned in terms of our duties and hard work. Our unity as a nation should be our priority. Our resolution should be to make life easier for the poorest of the poor, and to ensure that Dalits, oppressed, exploited, deprived, tribal people and everyone gets all the necessary facilities. Today, the goals for which the country is working, like homes for all, water for all, electricity for all, are the collective responsibility of all of us. The betterment of poor, downtrodden, backward, tribal people and women in a powerful and energetic state like Bihar is also helping Bihar to move forward and progress. And when Bihar progresses, India will also touch new heights of development and success, reiterating its golden past. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the State Government, the Speaker and all the senior members for inviting me on this important historical occasion and giving me an opportunity to be a part of this historic moment. My best wishes to all! Let this hundred-year journey become the centre of new energy for the coming hundred years! With this one hope, thank you very much! Heartiest congratulations!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.